VEHICLE LAMP

• US 20080232127A1
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stanley Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Stanley Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Futami, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,695,175 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/511
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/239 plate-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/243 emitting light from one or more of its extremities
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/249 with two or more light sources being coupled into the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/30 characterised by reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/09 with a combination of different curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0031 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0038 Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide

Abstract

A vehicle lamp can suppress dimensions in the depth direction and provide a large emission area with a simple configuration, and has a light-emitting surface of wraparound configuration with impressive appearance and aesthetic qualities. The vehicle lamp can include a light source unit and a light guide lens. The light source unit can include a light source, and a converting part for converting light from the light source to a narrow width light. The conversion part has an emission area for emitting the converted light. The light guide lens can include one end face having a shape corresponding to the emission area of the conversion part, a thin plate-like light guiding portion for guiding the incident light, and another end face being a farthest part away from the incident surface. The light guide lens guides the incident light toward the other end face and emits the guided light from a predetermined surface thereof as it travels on its way through the lens.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp, comprising:

a light source unit including,

at least one light source having an emission area and configured to emit light along an optical axis and in a light emitting direction, and

a converting part including;

a pair of primary reflecting mirrors configured to reflect part of the light emitted from the light source to respective predetermined directions with respect to a center section of the emission area of the light source and about the optical axis, the primary reflecting mirrors being arranged in the emission area but spaced from the center section when viewed from the light emitting direction; and

a pair of secondary reflecting mirrors configured to reflect light from the primary reflecting mirrors into a direction substantially parallel to the optical axis, each of the secondary reflecting mirrors being arranged substantially parallel with a respective one of the primary reflecting mirrors, the converting part thus being configured to convert light emitted from the light source to converted light having a predetermined narrow width, the conversion part having an emission area configured to emit the converted light; and

a light guide lens including,

one end face having a shape corresponding to the emission area of the converting part, and including an incident surface which is configured to receive the converted light and to allow the converted light to pass through to become incident light,

a thin plate-like light guiding portion configured to guide the incident light, and

an other end face being a farthest part of the light guide lens away from the incident surface, the light guide lens configured to guide the incident light from the incident surface toward the other end face and configured to emit a first portion of the incident light from the other end face and configured to emit a second different portion of the incident light from a predetermined surface of the light guide lens separate from and located between the incident surface and other end face of the light guide lens.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the thin plate-like light guiding portion has a wide width side and a narrow width side, the predetermined surface from which the guided light is emitted being the wide width side.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the thin plate-like light guiding portion has a wide width side and a narrow width side, the predetermined surface from which the guided light is emitted being the narrow width side.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the thin plate-like light guiding portion of the light guide lens extends in a direction of emission of light from the light source and is formed in a curved shape with respect to a direction orthogonal to the optical axis.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the thin plate-like light guiding portion of the light guide lens extends in a direction of emission of light from the light source and is formed in a curved shape with respect to a direction orthogonal to the optical axis.

6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the thin plate-like light guiding portion of the light guide lens extends in a direction of emission of light from the light source and is formed in a curved shape with respect to a direction orthogonal to the optical axis.

7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 4, wherein the thin plate-like light guiding portion of the light guide lens has a plurality of thickness changing portions in a surface on a side different from the predetermined surface for emitting light;

and

the thickness changing portions increase in thickness gradually from a side closest to the light source towards the other end face so as to correspond to the curved shape.

8. The vehicle lamp according to claim 5, wherein the thin plate-like light guiding portion of the light guide lens has a plurality of thickness changing portions in a surface on a side different from the predetermined surface for emitting light;

and

the thickness changing portions increase in thickness gradually from a side closest to the light source towards the other end face so as to correspond to the curved shape.

9. The vehicle lamp according to claim 6, wherein the thin plate-like light guiding portion of the light guide lens has a plurality of thickness changing portions in a surface on a side different from the predetermined surface for emitting light;

and

the thickness changing portions increase in thickness gradually from a side closest to the light source towards the other end face so as to correspond to the curved shape.

10. The vehicle lamp according to claim 7, wherein the other end face and end faces located along edges of the predetermined surface for emitting light of the light guiding portion of the light guide lens excluding the incident surface extend at a predetermined angle greater then zero with respect to the predetermined surface.

11. The vehicle lamp according to claim 8, wherein the other end face and end faces located along edges of the predetermined surface of the light guiding portion of the light guide lens excluding the incident surface extend at a predetermined angle greater then zero with respect to the predetermined surface.

12. The vehicle lamp according to claim 9, wherein the other end face and end faces located along edges of the predetermined surface of the light guiding portion of the light guide lens excluding the incident surface extend at a predetermined angle greater then zero with respect to the predetermined surface.

13. The vehicle lamp according to claim 10, wherein the other end face and the end faces of the light guiding portion of the light guide lens are tilted at approximately 45°

with respect to the predetermined surface.

14. The vehicle lamp according to claim 11, wherein the other end face and the end faces of the light guiding portion of the light guide lens are tilted at approximately 45°

with respect to the predetermined surface.

15. The vehicle lamp according to claim 12, wherein the other end face and the end faces of the light guiding portion of the light guide lens are tilted at approximately 45°

with respect to the predetermined surface.

16. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source includes at least one LED lamp.

17. A vehicle lamp, comprising:

a light source unit including,

a housing defining a substantially elongate opening,

a light source that has a light emitting area configured to emit light in a light emission direction and along an optical axis of the light source, wherein

the housing is located in front of the light source and configured such that an upper and lower portion of the light emitting area of the light source are blocked by the housing when the light source unit is viewed along the optical axis and from the light emission direction, the housing including a mirror system that is configured to reflect light emitted from the light emitting area to areas spaced from each other and located on either side of the optical axis of the light source; and

a light guide lens extending in a curved manner along a longitudinal axis of the light guide lens and being made from a single continuous substantially homogenous transparent material, the light guide lens having a thickness dimension that is less than a height dimension which are each less than a length of the longitudinal axis of the light guide lens, the lens including an incident surface located at one end of the longitudinal axis and an other end surface located at an opposite end of the longitudinal axis, the incident surface located adjacent to and closer to the housing of the light source unit than the opposite end, at least one other side surface of the light guide lens extends between incident surface and the other end surface, the light guide lens includes reflective portions configured to reflect light that is received in the light guide lens at the incident surface towards and through both the other end surface and the other side surface which extends between the incident surface and the other end surface.

18. The vehicle lamp according to claim 17, wherein the other surface extends in both a direction parallel with the thickness dimension and a direction parallel with the longitudinal axis of the light guide lens, and also extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the elongate opening in the housing.

19. The vehicle lamp according to claim 17, wherein the other surface extends in both a direction parallel with the height dimension and a direction parallel with the longitudinal axis of the light guide lens, and also extends in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the elongate opening in the housing.